Bhairavnath Temple, Kedarnath Uttrakhand India
Bhairavnath Temple or Bhairav Baba Mandir also known as Bhukund Bhairav Temple is situated south of the Kedarnath temple on the eastern hill of the lofty Himalayas of Uttarakhand. Bhairavnath temple is around 1.5 kms trek from famous Shri Kedarnath Jyotirlinga. The trek of Bhairav Nath Mandir starts from right side door of Baba Kedarnath Temple. Bhairavnath Temple is one of the most popular temples in Kedarnath after Kedarnath temple. This temple is extremely old shrine dedicated to Baba Bhairavnath who is the Kshetrapal (guardian) of Kedarnath temple. There is a priest who lives and meditates at the Bhairavnath temple shrine for six months. Lord Bhairav is worshiped at this place and there is no roof over Lord Bhairav. The weapon of the Lord Bhairava is Trishula (Trident) and his vahan (Vehicle) is a dog. The deity of the temple is also known as Kshetrapal or the guardian of the region.
According to legend, when Kedarnath Temple closes during winter months due to heavy snow fall, the deity in Bhairavnath temple protects the main temple area as well as the whole Kedarnath valley. The place offers the magnificent views of Kedarnath Temple and entire Kedarnath Valley. The specialty of Bhukund Bhairav Temple is that before the opening of the doors of Shri Kedarnath temple, Bhukund Bhairav is worshipped, only after that Baba Kedarnath is worshipped. According to the legend, Bhukund is considered as the first Rawal of Baba Kedarnath. The yatra of kedarnath temple is considered incomplete without visiting Bhairav nath temple.
Bhairavnath Temple remains closed for most part of the winter season. It is only open for a few months i.e. from May to November.
Things to carry
Please carry full body Rain coats, Warm Jackets , Good quality waterproof hiking shoes and all regular medicines while travelling to Kedarnath dham.
How to Reach Kedarnath vally
By Air - Jolly Grant airport of Dehradun at a distance of nearly 250 kilometres from Kedarnath Dham.
By Train - Yog Nagari Rishikesh (YNRK) is the nearest Railway station. Haridwar and Dehradun are other railway stations from where you can carry journey to Kedarnath vally by Road. You can also hire cabs from these railway stations / cities to Sonprayag.
By Road - Uttrakhand state buses and buses from other states regularly ply between Haridwar/ Rishikesh and Sonprayag.
